Restrictions making shark soup pricey

GREENACRES, Fla., June 8 (UPI) -- Those interested in a bowl of shark fin soup had better be prepared to pay a pretty penny due to Florida fishing restrictions, those familiar with the dish say.

Lily Cho said her father serves the rare dish in his Chinese restaurant in Greenacres, Fla., but increasingly strict shark fishing regulations have made real shark fin soup a costly meal, the South Florida Sentinel reported Sunday.

A bowl of the culinary creation costs $59.95 at the China Pavilion restaurant belonging to Cho's father and even that meal is made in part with imitation shark.

Shark fishing in Florida has been curtailed by federal regulators to allow shark populations to recover from past rampant fishing.

Cho told the Sentinel she actually had authentic shark fin soup at a wedding, but it likely cost the bride and groom's family a fortune.

"I was shocked," she said of the wedding meal. "I could tell he probably spent over $20,000."